New owner and need some help on taming

[qwerty7890]

I was given a lovebird by my mother's colleague who was moving and it would not be convenient bringing the bird with him. I have him for a few weeks now and i have tried to tame it using methods that i have read such as talking to him, putting my hand in for him to get used to and also hand feeding him.

There is definitely an improvement on his behaviour but he still seems very afraid. He only sometimes eats from my hand, sometimes not. However if my hand does not have food he will try his best to avoid my hand and runs away, when i try to teach him to step up he will either back off or try to bite my finger. Whenever i need to clean the cage i will have no choice but to kind of scare him out with my hands. He also does not seem to like getting out of his cage.

Is there anything i can do to further tame him so that he is used to me and wont run? I really want to try and bond with him but to no avail:(

Also what kind of fruits can i feed him, i have been trying to feed him fruits such as apples, peaches, bananas and berries but he does not seem to like them.

[linda040899]

Patience, patience and when you think you have run out of patience, look around and find a bit more!

In the wild, parrots are prey animals so fear is natural. He has to learn by experience that you don't intend to make him your next meal! Additionally, many parrots just plain don't like human hands. He's learning that your hand can give him food which he likes but no food is a different story.

Some birds are easier to tame than others and some just take more time. Each bird is different so you have to work with what you have. Most important is that he's happy and active.

Lovebirds are not normally fruit eaters, although some will.